The Presidenc​y of john adams (1797-1801)

The XYZ Affair

When Washington left office in 1797, relations between France and the United States were tense. With Britain and France still at war, the French began seizing U.S. ships to prevent them from trading with the British. Within the year, the French had looted more than 300 U.S. ships.

Although some Federalists called for war with France, Adams hoped talks would restore calm .To this end, he sent diplomats Charles Pinckney, Elbridge Gerry, and John Marshall to Paris. Arriving there, they requested a meeting with the French minister of foreign affairs. For weeks, they were ignored.

Then three French agents—later referred to as X, Y, and Z— took the Americans aside to tell them the minister would hold talks. However, the talks would occur only if the Americans agreed to loan France $10 million and to pay the minister a bribe of $250,000. The Americans refused. “No, no, not a sixpence,” Pinckney shot back. Adams received a full report of what became known as the XYZAffair.

After Congress and an outraged public learned of it, the press turned Pinckney’s words into a popular slogan: “Millions for defense, not one cent for tribute!” In 1798, Congress canceled its treaties with France and allowed U.S. ships to seize French vessels. Congress also set aside money to expand the navy and the army. This is the reason John Adams is known as the father of the navy.

XYZ Affair Political Cartoon

​American newspapers fueled public anger over the XYZ Affair by publishing editorial sand cartoons like this one.Here the five-man group ruling France demands money at dagger point from the three Americans. The American diplomats respond, “Cease bawling, monster! We will not give you sixpence!”

The XYZ Affair Opera

The Alien and Sedition Acts

The conflict with France made Adams and the Federalists popular with the public. Many Democratic-Republicans, such as Thomas Jefferson however, were sympathetic to France. One Democratic-Republican newspaper called Adams “the blasted tyrant of America.” In turn, Federalists labeled Democratic- Republicans “democrats, mobcrats, and other kinds of rats.”​Angered by criticism in a time of crisis, Adams blamed the Democratic-Republican newspapers and new immigrants. Many of the immigrants were Democratic-Republicans. To silence their critics, the Federalist Congress passed the Alien and Sedition Acts in 1798. These acts targeted aliens (immigrants) who were not yet citizens.

The Alien Act increased the waiting period for becoming a U.S. citizen from 5 to 14 years and gave the president the power to arrest disloyal aliens or order them out of the country during wartime. TheSedition Act act outlawed sedition, saying or writing anything false or harmful about the government. With these acts, the Federalists clamped down on freedom of speech and the press. About 25 Democratic-Republican newspaper editors charged under this act, and 10 were convicted of expressing opinions damaging to the government.

THE Virginia & kentucky Resolutions

The Democratic-Republicans, led by Jefferson and Madison, searched for a way to fight the Alien and Sedition Acts. They found it in a theory called states’ rights. According to this theory, states had rights that the federal government could not violate. Jefferson and Madison wrote resolutions (or statements) passed by the Kentucky and Virginia legislatures in 1798 and 1799. In the Kentucky Resolutions, Jefferson proposed nullification, the idea that a state could nullify the federal law within the state. In the Virginia Resolutions, Madison said a state could interpose, or place, itself between the federal government and its citizens. The two sets of resolutions followed a similar argument: The states had the duty to nullify within their borders those laws that were unconstitutional.These resolutions declared that the Alien and Sedition Acts violated the Constitution and needed to be nullified. No other states supported Kentucky and Virginia. However, within two years the Democratic-Republicans won control of Congress, and they either repealed the Alien and Sedition Acts or let them expire between 1800 and 1802.

Cornell NotesEssential Question:What major economic, domestic, and foreign issues did President Adams face?

Note Questions:XYZ Affair1. What problem was the United States having with France during John Adams’ presidency? What is this called?2. What happened when President Adams sent diplomats to France?3. What famous slogan was made as a result of the XYZ Affair?

Alien and Sedition Acts1. Why did Federalist Congress pass the Alien and Sedition Acts?2. What rules did the Alien Act establish?3. What rules did the Sedition Act establish?

The Kentucky/Virginia Resolutions1. What did Virginia and Kentucky declare about the Alien and Sedition Acts?